Sim Center Coordinator is Shore's First Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator

SALISBURY, MD---Salisbury University’s Richard A. Henson Medical Simulation Center is home to the Eastern Shore’s first Certified Healthcare Simulation Educator.

SU alumna Catherine Neighbors, Sim Center coordinator, earned the advanced CHSE credential from the Society for Simulation in Healthcare (SSH).

“This designation helps position the University and its Simulation Center at the forefront of simulation-enhanced healthcare education,” Neighbors said.

To date, only 28 individuals in Maryland have earned the certification, added Dr. Lisa Seldomridge, center director and faculty in SU’s new College of Health and Human Services.

SU’s Simulation Center (106 Pine Bluff Road) has four specialized simulation suites, seven high-fidelity patient simulators, classroom and debriefing spaces, and a standardized patient program. Opened in 2011, it is designed to be a “safe space” for students and others to practice skills as health professionals. It has been used by students and faculty from SU and the University of Maryland Eastern Shore, as well as community groups including Peninsula Regional Medical Center, school nurses, and the Wicomico County Health Department. It also houses SU’s Eastern Shore Faculty Academy and Mentoring Initiative for clinical nurses who want to teach.

The CHSE certification validates expertise in simulation education including practices and methodologies, learning and assessment, resource and facility management, and scholarly activities. The society seeks to improve patient safety through simulation, and distinguishes individuals internationally for their commitment to best practices.

Neighbors graduated from SU’s Applied Health Physiology master’s program in 2014. She started working at the Sim Center as a graduate research assistant in 2013 before being hired full time. A native of Grasonville, MD, she now lives in Salisbury.

For more information visit, the Sim Center website.